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Published on: July 5, 2022
Fatigue in type 1 diabetes, prevalence, predictors and comparison with the background population
Øystein Jensen1, Tomm Bernklev2, Charlotte Gibbs3
1Østfold University College, Dept of Health and Welfare, Pb 770, 1757 Halden, Norway; Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Klaus Torgårds vei 3, 0372 Oslo, Norway.
Aim:
Fatigue is scarcely studied in type 1 diabetes (T1D), and the aims were to investigate its prevalence compared to the background population, potential associations, and to validate the Fatigue Questionnaire (FQ) in type 1 diabetes.
Methods:
Persons with T1D were recruited from three outpatient clinics in Norway. Fatigue was measured using the FQ, and FQ data from the Norwegian background population were used for comparison. Socio-demographic and clinical variables were obtained by self-report, clinical investigation, medical records and laboratory tests.
Results:
Of 332 eligible patients, 288 (87%) were included. Mean age was 44.65/44.95 years (SD 13.34/13.38) for females/males, respectively. Total fatigue (TF) was 15.31 (SD 5.51) compared to 12.2 (SD 4.0) in the background population (p < 0.001). HADS ≥ 8, current menstruation, increased leukocytes and sleep problems were associated with increased TF. Chronic fatigue (CF) was reported in 26.4% compared to 11% in the background population (p < 0.001). HADS ≥ 8, increased time since diagnosis and decreased sleep quality were associated with CF. The validity, internal consistency and repeatability of the FQ was confirmed.
Conclusions:
Fatigue was more common in T1D than in the background population, and associated with increased anxiety, depression and sleep problems. The FQ demonstrated satisfactory psychometric properties.
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